Monday, July 09, 2007

If the Government Actually Enforced All of the Laws--

We'd finally realize how much they are trying to control everything. Here is a case of a 70 year-old woman who was arrested for having an ugly lawn.

Actually, an officer, who was trying to give her a ticket for the ugly lawn, arrested her for refusing to identify herself and refusing to accept the ticket.

Perry was eventually handcuffed and taken to jail, where she spent more than an hour before officials decided custody was inappropriate....The officer's name was not released. Orem is in Utah County, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. "There were other options available to handle this situation besides making an arrest and holding the woman in jail," Edwards said.

"Certainly had the woman been a shoplifter at the mall who refused to identify herself, no one would question or be surprised that she was arrested and handcuffed, regardless of her age," he said.

For those who complain that she brought it on herself by refusing to accept the ticket, just think what would have happened had she accepted the ticket and been unable to pay it. She ultimately would have had her home taken away--either by declaring bankruptcy or having the town seize it to pay off the debt. If you were to accept the premise that having a brown lawn is a crime, would either of those two outcomes have satisfied?

I think the last sentence is the most telling. Edwards recognizes that jail seems harsh and then confuses the situation with a person who had actually committed a REAL crime, instead of some woman who decided she didn't need a green lawn.

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Homeschooling mom to one girl with another in public school and a toddler. I'm particularly interested in science and math in education. I also blog about general interest issues to parents, kid's books and activities, and issues of freedom from the perspective of rights.
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